Serious young men with furrowed brows turned their collars to the wind, thrust their hands deep into overcoat pockets and banged on about a shared sense of gloom.
Running counter to that icy introspection were the bands that sought to carry forward punk's fury while engaging with music's more rhythmic forms.
Leeds outfit Gang of Four led the way, delivering a gripping debut album that fused punk with funk and Marxism with militarism.
Entertainment! (1979) remains one of post-punk's most influential centrepieces.
Both Nirvana and the Red Hot Chili Peppers have acknowledged their debt to its spark and energy, while other bands such as Franz Ferdinand, The Killers, The Strokes and The Rapture continue to ride the wave it generated.
Gang of Four was not without its own influences: The choppy, splintered playing style of guitarist Andy Gill on the album echoes that of Dr Feelgood's Wilco Johnson, lending Entertainment! its sense of urgency and attack.
The rhythm section of Dave Allen (bass) and Hugo Burnham (drums) take disco-style licks and beats and put them through boot camp, turning out beefed-up incarnations of their former, friendlier selves.
Singer Jon King leads the band's multi-pronged attack with clarity and purpose.
Polemics on the concepts of love and lust are delivered with a directness equal to those on social alienation, boredom, political manipulation and guerrilla warfare.
Gill's spoken and sung asides are panned hard left or hard right, creating the impression that he's in the wings and ready to back up his mate should things turn nasty.
But this album is, above anything else, an irresistible dance record.
Sure, there are powerful messages in the music but it's possible to become swept up in its fervour without fully grasping its intent.
From go to whoa this is fired up, skin-tight, rhythm-driven entertainment.
